Dark Days at TAC

by Richard Pinkerton

CHAPTER 20:

  Pete Loses Out

  ‘Pete, there’s nothing to worry about. You’re innocent, right?’ Melissa walked along side of him as they headed to afternoon class.

  ‘Of course I am, but someone’s out to get me, but I don’t know who. It could be anyone.’

  ‘Yeah, well you’re not exactly Mr Popularity.’

  ‘You don’t need to tell me that.’

  Rex and Ben sidled up alongside them.

  ‘Hey, Cook,’ Ben said. ‘What are you still doing walking around here? Shouldn’t you be locked up by now?’

  ‘I didn’t steal that money.’

  ‘Yeah, whatever!’

  ‘Hi, Rex,’ Melissa said stepped up next to him. ‘Do you remember me? I’m Melissa, Pete’s friend.’

  Ben scowled. ‘Since when were you Pete’s friend?’

  ‘Since a few days ago. So, Rex, do you remember me at all?’

  Rex ground to a halt and turned to face her. ‘What did you say your name was?’

  ‘Melissa Mason.’

  Rex glanced towards Pete and then back to her. ‘You know, there is something familiar about that name.’

  ‘There is?’ Melissa’s eyes lit up.

  ‘Yeah. Something deep in the recesses of my memory. I guess you must be something special for me to remember your name.’

  ‘Really?’ Melissa beamed.

  ‘Yeah. And you are quite a hotty, so I’m guessing you and I have had a thing going at some stage. Would I be right?’

  ‘I… ah… Well not really. But it would be nice.’

  Pete’s jaw dropped. He felt like leaping in there right then and telling Rex that she was seeing him now, but she wasn’t his girl yet.

  ‘Hey,’ Rex said. ‘Why don’t you sit with me and Ben in Biology?’

  ‘Yes, that would be great!’ She didn’t even glance back at Pete to gauge his reaction.

  ‘Alright then,’ Rex said and offered her his arm. She immediately took it and with a huge smile on her face walked alongside him with her arm looped through his..

  Pete could only stare in horror and paused only long enough to notice Ben smirk. ‘Looks like you lose out as usual, Cook.’

  Pete hurried into the classroom desperately hoping that Melissa would see his distress and return to his side, but she didn’t even glance his way. She sat down with Rex and Ben and moved her stool right up close to Rex. Pete could feel his heart split in two, but there was nothing he could do. If Rex wanted her, then Pete had no chance now. With his head hung low, he made his way to his usual seat next to Mav and sat down. He turned and noticed that Mav looked just as down as he was. Pete peered over to where Holly sat. Holly looked miserable too.

  He flinched as the pain of Melissa’s abandonment of him solidified itself even more. ‘Welcome to the club.’

  Mr Sanders entered the room carrying a stack of papers. ‘Afternoon everyone. I have your marked assignments here. Please come up one by one and collect yours.’

  Pete wandered up to get his, not particularly interested in the result. Melissa remained with Rex and seemed to be flirting with him. She rubbed his arm, giggled regularly and not once did her eyes drift away from him.

  Pete glanced at his marked paper and saw that he had a “redo” on it. He sighed and returned to his desk. ‘Can this day get any worse?’

  ‘Mr Sanders, this is not my paper!’

  Pete recognised the voice of Vanessa and turned his head towards her. Her heavenly face had a deep frown on it and she slapped her assignment paper down on the bench in front of their teacher. ‘It’s not mine!’

  ‘Of course it’s yours. It’s got your name on it.’

  ‘Well it’s not mine. This paper is about three pages long. Mind was at least ten pages. The diagrams in here were not done by me.’

  ‘Ridiculous!’ Mr Sanders glared. ‘How would someone else’s paper end up with your name on it? I think you’re just trying to make excuses for your poor work.’

  Pete had never seen fury burning in her eyes like they were now. The wrath of the goddess was brewing and it seemed that Mr Sanders was about to feel it. All eyes were on their teacher and Vanessa now. Even Rex and Melissa had stopped talking to each other and now gazed in their direction.

  Vanessa huffed. ‘This is bullshit! You’ve had it in for me right from the beginning, just because I didn’t want your one-on-one tutoring. You switched them.’

  Mr Sanders eyes narrowed. ‘Do you realise what you are accusing me of?’

  ‘Err, yes, I do. That’s why I’m accusing you of it.’

  ‘This is a very serious accusation. Slanderous even. It seems perhaps it’s you that has a vendetta against me and desire me to be in trouble for something I haven’t done. I simply marked the papers I received. This one has your name typed on it, so I took it as your work.’

  ‘Well it’s not and I can prove it by getting a copy of it off my computer at home. I’ll bring it in and you can see for yourself!’

  ‘I’m sorry Miss Danté. But the deadline for the assignment is past.’

  ‘But you said you’d give us an extra few days.’

  ‘And I did. Now it’s too late. For all I know you could go home tonight and write up a whole new paper, or even copy off someone else’s.’

  Vanessa’s eyes narrowed. ‘I wouldn’t do that!’

  ‘How am I supposed to know you wouldn’t? Now if I were you, young lady, I would calm down right now, otherwise you could be in very big trouble. You have failed the paper. You will just have to gain credits by doing extra work.’

  ‘Don’t I even get a redo?’

  ‘Come and see me after class and we shall discuss this. I really don’t think you deserve to get a second chance. Not with your attitude towards me.’

  ‘My attitude?’

  ‘Yes, your attitude. Now enough. I won’t have you disrupt this class any longer.’

  For a few seconds longer she glared at him. Pete glanced across at Rex who now had his head turned in the other direction. He was however, able to get a split second glimpse of his eyes and was sure he saw ire in them. No, thought Pete. It couldn’t be. There was no way that the old Rex would sit by while Vanessa was victimised in this manner, so if it was anger Pete saw it had to be for some other reason.

  ‘What do you reckon about that?’ Mav asked Pete, jerking him out of his rumination.

  ‘Err… it’s strange alright.’ He continued to gaze Rex’s way for a little longer then came to his senses. ‘Speaking of strange, what’s with you and Holly? You haven’t talked to each other all morning.’

  Mav sighed. ‘She’s being difficult. Thinks I’m seeing someone behind her back.’

  ‘Are you?’

  ‘No. I’ve hardly spoken to any girls at all since the holidays. Come on, Pete, you know what that’s like, being one of the most hated guys in school.’ He smiled cheekily.

  ‘Tell me about it,’ Pete scoffed. ‘When one girl finally does talk to me she soon loses interest, especially when Rex takes notice of her.’ He turned his eyes towards Melissa who was once again talking and flirting with Rex.

  ‘Ah, she’s not worth it,’ Mav said. ‘Any girl that would do that to you isn’t the sort you wanna get involved with.’

  ‘It’s all very well for you. You’ve got one of the hottest babes in the school and there have been others with their eyes on you too. Even Jacqui tried to get her claws into you at one point.’

  Mav didn’t reply.

  ‘I bet you had chicks after you at the Blue Lake too.’ Pete glanced at Mav, when he still didn’t reply. He had a pen in his hand doodling on his refill pad. He seemed too absorbed in his scribbling so Pete said nothing more.

  Mr Sanders began his lesson, but stopped and peered over at Rex and Melissa.

  ‘You two!’ he glared. ‘What are you doing?’

  Rex turned his eyes calmly up towards their teacher. ‘We were actually talking about going for a walk into town. In fact, we’re leaving in five minu
tes. Can I get you something?’

  Their teacher glared. ‘You will not be leaving my classroom.’

  Rex smirked. ‘Actually, I believe we will be.’

  ‘Yeah!’ Melissa said.

  ‘It’s just you see, we have far better things to do than sit in this class and listen to you rabbit on.’

  Mr Saunders’ face became red. ‘I am in charge here. I am your teacher. You’ll do what I say.’

  ‘Will we?’ Rex rose to his feet. ‘I don’t think so. It seems you do whatever you want to do, so why not us?’

  Melissa and Ben stood too.

  ‘You’ll have respect for this school!’ Mr Sanders growled. ‘And me your teacher.’

  ‘What, like you have respect for your students?’ scoffed Rex. ‘You have got to be kidding me. We’re going.’ Rex went to leave, but Mr Sanders grabbed him by the shirt. Suddenly Rex whizzed around, grabbed his arm and twisted it around behind his back, so fast that even Pete was bamboozled by his speed. Mr Sanders let out a cry and his face turned from red to white as he realised that he could not break free from Rex’s strength. ‘You don’t want to try and lay a finger on me, eejit,’ Rex said in a haunting snarl. ‘You don’t want to put you dirty fingers on anyone in this class, you understand that? Nobody! Not one!’

  ‘I won’t!’ Mr Saunders yelped. ‘I never would! I’m a professional.’

  Rex released him. ‘If you’re a professional, then I’ll be the next principal of this school!’

  Mr Sanders turned around, his face still white and his eyes wide.

  Rex spoke once more. ‘Watch your step, douche bag. You’re really starting to piss me off.’

  Mr Saunders’ legs quivered as Rex turned and walked from the class, Melissa and Ben behind him.’

  Melissa waved back at their teacher. ‘Bye, Reverend Flanders!’

  Pete stared as the three left. He had never seen Rex talk to a teacher in such an intimidating manner. In fact, he had never even seen him manhandle a teacher at all.

  Mr Sanders breathed and then noticed everyone staring at him. He let out a nervous laugh. ‘Oh, boy.’ He cleared his throat and walked back to the front of the room. ‘We’d better continue.’ He wiped his forehead. ‘You... you all read page 156 of your text books and answer the questions at the end. I need to sit down for a bit.’

  ‘Wow, I just can’t believe that,’ Pete said to Mav afterwards. They were one of the first ones out of class. ‘That’s just not like Rex at all. Even with Mr Bronson last year he didn’t make threats like that. He’s pissed about something. At first, I thought it might have been because Sanders was picking on Vanessa, but no, it can’t be. If he’d regained his memory he’d be back with her, but he’s not.’

  ‘He shouldn’t be here,’ Mav said. ‘He should be getting medical treatment. More than that, psychological treatment. The guy’s starting to scare me, Pete.’

  ‘I know. He’s been freaking me out a bit lately too.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Talking about how I owed him big time. He said it like a threat.’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Pete said thinking back to how Rex had covered for him over the stolen money. ‘I hate to think what he has in mind.’

  They continued walking to their final class of the day.

  ‘How do you feel about Melissa walking out with Rex?’ asked Mav.

  ‘Gutted,’ Pete said and sighed. ‘I guess she never really wanted me after all.’

  They were about to enter F Block for woodwork classes when Miss Branigan the extremely hot office lady came up. ‘Pete.’

  ‘Yep?’

  ‘You’re wanted now in Mr Luxton’s office. You’d better come quickly.’

  A horrible feeling gnawed at his stomach as he made his way to the office. It could only be about the camp fees, what else? Perhaps it was good news and there was nothing to worry about? Perhaps they had found the real culprit. As much as he wanted to believe that, though, the dread continued to build.

  He reached Mr Luxton’s office. The door was already open and standing there were two policemen.

  ‘Pete,’ said Mr Luxton. ‘I’m afraid it’s not good news. We have a witness who claims to have seen you leave the camp fees here at the office.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Yes. I’m afraid you have some explaining to do.’